Could it be that one month is better than another for craft beer? I enjoy drinking craft beer just about any time for any reason, but February has a special place in the heart of California craft beer drinkers.

(Sonoma County, CA) – Bear Republic Brewing Company is proud to announce the release of Apex™ Special IPA in draft and 22oz bottles. The third addition to their hop forward seasonal lineup, Apex™ is intensely hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra and balanced with a rich and malty backbone. Look for Apex starting this week in California, followed by distribution to select US markets.

(Portland, OR) – Widmer Brothers Brewing and Logsdon Farmhouse Ales recently teamed up to brew a collaboration beer, Ensemble Pale Ale, which will be released on draught in Portland on Friday, January 31. The collaboration is the result of Logsdon Farmhouse Ales winning Brewbound’s Startup Brewery Challenge held in Portland in August 2013.

Our first beer release of 2014 is now hitting shelves! Local Fields: Vinaceous is an English-style Old Ale brewed with Mourvedre wine grapes from our friends at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. It clocks in at 8.7% ABV and it boasts flavors of rich malt, brown sugar and dark berries with a touch of oak in the finish.

This year’s batch of Deliverance [is now available] and keep an eye out for our 2014 batch of Cuvee de Tomme. It should be hitting distribution in early February along with this years Red Poppy (Flanders Red Ale) and Carnevale Ale (Brett-Conditioned Saison).

We’ve also locked in the date for our 2014 Carnevale celebration, February 22nd.

January Releases:

Serpent’s StoutThe history of the bible and religion is indeed the struggle of good vs. evil. Our Serpent’s Stout recognizes the evil of the dark side that we all struggle with. This is a massively thick and opaque beer that begs the saints to join the sinners in their path to a black existence.

Midnight ExpressionAn incredibly dark but satisfying session lager. The beer has aromas of dark cocoa and fresh brewed coffee. The taste is initially sweet from the caramel malt but finishes with decidedly roasted and fuller bodied smoothness from the oats in the beer.

I’m not sure how long the “Beer Snob” and I have known each other online through my Facebook page, but it’s been a while. I moved to the Coachella Valley in 2012, just as the craft beer scene started to erupt with the launch of Coachella Valley Brewing and La Quinta Brewing.

On this day in 1935 canned beer made its debut. While the brew back then left little to be desired by today’s craft standards, an ever-growing selection of delicious suds now come in cans.

Today, celebrate Beer Can Appreciation Day!

So, why should we appreciate canned beer?

Convenience. Love the outdoorsy lifestyle? Love fishing or hiking? What about music festivals? Canned beer is simply more travel friendly and convenient.

It’s cheaper to produce.

Better quality. Yep, some people still don’t believe it, but beer can taste better because cans don’t let the light in. Light and oxygen are the enemies of great tasting beer. And aluminum can provides 100% protection from harmful UV rays. The sealed lid prevents any oxygen from penetrating the beer inside the can. Recent technology has made even more improvements: can linings are now water-based instead of solvent-based. This lining insulates the beer from the can’s interior surface so you’ll never taste the can.

Better for the environment. Over 60% of your beer can is made from recycled content. Cans also require less energy to cool down. Less packaging means packing more beer in less space, which reduces a brewery’s carbon footprint. Aluminum cans is easily recyclable. And that will always be cool.

Who’s got great cans? Here are just several ~

21st Amendment Brewery: Back in Black Black IPA, Brew Free! Or Die IPA, Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale or lower the boom with Lower De Boom, coming in at 11.5%. You read that right. 11.5% ABV.

Samual Adams: Boston Lager (my gateway beer of years ago & granddaddy of craft beer) is finally available in cans.

Sierra Nevada: The 33 year old craft brewery started canning their Pale Ale in 2012. Also enjoy their Summerfest and Torpedo for easy travel.

Sixpoint Brewery: At 10% ABV, 3BEANS is is a Baltic Porter and the biggest beer the brewery has ever canned. Romano beans are included in the mash, Cacao beans from Mast Brothers Chocolate are the second of the triumvirate. It’s then infused with fresh Stumptown Coffee Roasters cold brew, and then aged on oak.

Ska Brewing: Ska even has a series of seasonal canned stouts. Vernal Minthe Stout is the third in the series, brewed with spearmint, peppermint, vanilla beans and coco nibs. Autumnal Mole Stout is brewed with spices and three kinds of chile peppers. Also pick up their Modus Hoperandi, a world-class American IPA.

Surly Brewing Co.: CynicAle 16 oz. is just one of their beers you can get in cans. Also enjoy Wet, the first canned beer made with fresh hops all picked in Washington.

Wynkoop Brewing Company: You can even get Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout in cans from the Colorado brewery. Each batch is made with 25lbs of freshly sliced and roasted bull testicles. Mmmm..

According to Business Insider, as of 2012, cans constituted 53.2% of the beer market while bottles had a 36.5% share. CraftCans.com states there are more than 150 craft brewers currently put their beer in cans.

It pours a dusky, harvest orange with a generous, barely off white, soapy head. Taste is smooth and balanced; with malt, grains, some mild bittering hops and roasted character. Accents of lemon come through, but the caramel is pronounced.

The mouthfeel of this beer had a medium body with a bit of dryness. It's not quite a traditional Octoberfest style, but still a damn good beer.

Full on amber red with a nice thick off white head that retains well.Aroma is dominated by a rich caramel malt, faint bread and grassy hop. This is offset by modest floral notes with just a few faint hints of citrus.

The taste is very similar to the smell. The lighter, toasty malts are the primary flavor in the taste.
Good medium bodied beer that makes you want to take another sip. A nice finish.